


Lilies and Gladiolus

by orphan_account



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: (and aramika), Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Honest, Kinda?, M/M, Sex Mentions, Witch AU, also mitsuru bein cute, aramika if you squint, but it's not an nsfw fic at all, come for the angst, come in and get some knowledge on plant language, i sure hope, masturbation mentions, stay for the plants, theyre like in their early 20s here instead of being teens, whole load of plant references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-02-02 11:20:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12725649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Potions are brewin' and the greenhouse keepers stay for an extra lesson or two.





	Lilies and Gladiolus

**Author's Note:**

> this is based off a little mini story (?) type of thing i wrote a few months back. wanted to do something with it, didnt really know what. just kinda winged it for this.

Books opened with a _poof_   and somewhere across the greenhouse, Tsumugi could hear Arashi teach his underlings more about the delicate beauties. Bougainvilleas line the wall along where Tsumugi sits at the end of grand table. Far along the other side, bottles, beakers, quills, and two new excited understudies take up the space with their generous tutor. Tsumugi and Arashi were the appointed caregivers for all that thrived in there. Unfortunately, their schedules had them too backed up most of these days. Arashi excelled in healing and restoration magic, but it doesn't compare to helping the plants. In Tsumugi's free time his favorite thing to do was talk to the flowers as he waters them, keep them company while he prunes them. He told them his issues. They answered.

Tsumugi drummed his fingers along the dark oak underneath him, feather tapping anxiously on the hard cover of his own book. 

At the other end of the table, Mika, Arashi's _companion,_ had placed several potted plants for him and Mitsuru, the other understudy, to experiment with. Their laughter and smiles felt so far away from Tsumugi, but he was only a few feet away.

 Had it really been _that_ long since Tsumugi felt connected with the world around him? If he spoke, they'd hear him; if he stretched his hands out, Mitsuru could scoot back and grab them. _Everyone was right there._ But Tsumugi felt so far away. Mika intended to give Arashi a quick hug after setting the pots down, but Arashi pulled him in a bit tighter and pressed his face to Mika's neck. Tsumugi could only wonder what Arashi's mouth must've done in those few seconds they were on skin. He knew it probably wasn't anything despite Mika's growing blush, _hoped_ it wasn't much since Mitsuru was there. Still-

 

_Eichi once held Tsumugi like that._

The thought crept in his mind like a bug. It was a snake waiting for the perfect moment to attack.

Tsumugi quickly opened his book, page didn't matter to him. With a few strokes of his freshly inked quill, he quickly went to work.

_'The warmth of another human- a feeling so sought for. Acacias bloom around us, a bond is soon to bloom like those that dance in the wind; the same winds that made your hair flutter. Did it move my heart, too? A skipping of it's own came alive in my chest.'_

Tsumugi needed Eichi's heat around him, had to hear him call his name-  _craved_ to watch his lip move as Tsumugi's own name came out once again. He had all of that at one point. That, and so much more. Even when Tsumugi was in his own quarters, dark spare for a few lit candles and the moon light, his own touch didn't feel the way it used to- or the way he's used to. He felt something but it wasn't the feeling he wanted or tried to pathetically recreate. When he shut his eyes, visions of Eichi clouded all of his senses. Until he could hear Eichi's voice again, imagine ghost touches from him, felt his tightness around him. It was too much for him. Sure, he might've gotten off, but never could it compare to what Eichi did to him-

He couldn't think about that. No, not in the area or the moment where his friends were sharing such lovely emotions, not when happiness radiated off their very skins. Mika must've been working on some potion while Tsumugi's mind was at bay. When he looked up from his writing, Arashi's _partner_ had dropped rose petals into a glass with pink liquids that he managed to get boiling himself. Mitsuru was wide-eyed as he witnessed his upperclassman's spectacle of talent. Mika was a natural at all types of magic. It was easy to see why Arashi was so fond of him. After all, Mika was so eager to learn more about Arashi's interests for him. Even if Arashi tried to play it low, it was evident to see their bond. 

For witches, their relationships differ vastly from the standard humans have. _Companions,_ they are. _Partners with a fused life force._ Once they take the Nature Oath in front of the Matron's Holy Tree, the two must no longer live for themselves, but for _each other_. Arashi and Mika were only so young but emotions ran true from the start; continuously did. Tsumugi had to commend them for taking the oath at such an age, even if they kept hush about it. Still, everyone knew something happened the day that duo donned matching flower crowns of red roses and carnations of red and white, all twined around the wooden crown of thorns.

 

_Eichi had once promised to take the oath with Tsumugi._

The jabs stung, blade turned as it was pulled out slowly. It was meant to hurt Tsumugi deeply and leave the nastiest of scars behind. His memories were the knife under his pillow, his carelessness causing a rather unfortunate incident in his sleep.

_"No human nor witch deserves me like you do," Eichi declared before._

It was so easy to believe him. His crystalline blue eyes were enchantments themselves, velvet whispers of his voice like an ancient spell. Eichi's hair was strands of gold that the Matron Herself spun, his touch felt Tsumugi right through his core and healed what had been there before him. And yet, Tsumugi knew, there may never be another for him after Eichi.

_'Chervils find their way within my emotions, telling me of what they already decided I'll feel for you. Crocuses are the gift from my hands to yours. The promise to never hurt you was born. Baby's breaths and daisies flourish in our endless talks, the world stands back as our affectionate words make their exchange.'_

 

Purity, even for witches, was so hard to find in this world. Not that of virginity, but of a steadfast heart- full of unconditional love, free of bias and prejudice. Tsumugi had gotten hurt searching for a sliver of perfection, the taste of nirvana in this world. It hadn't existed until he met Eichi. But even now, he can't help but wonder if he'd been wrong about it all when he sees Mitsuru merrily jotting notes down with a potion of his own to practice on. Arashi did well with these boys, Tsumugi muses. Mitsuru dropped some sort of petal in his glass which causing a pale smoke to circle around it. He dipped a finger in the now lilac-shaded potion, tasting it. Mika claps as he turns to write something in Arashi's book.

It was nice for Tsumugi to be around his _cadre_ , but his mind still had lingered where it shouldn't have. He hadn't healed yet, might not in this lifetime. Tsumugi was halfway tempted to ask one of the three across from him to brew up a concoction for a broken heart. Maybe a secret salve was hidden somewhere that'd be the cure to this all. Were hearts even meant to have those things for them? Tsumugi could stay far after all of them and experiment around for himself. There'd be no use though, if Eichi would still weigh heavy on this mind. It was unnatural how he made Tsumugi feel as if he were in another world. Was it even a world? It felt like heaven, or as if galaxies sparked in their rendezvous.

 

_'Would it be wise to lay down the foundation for heliotropes to blossom in this world? In our world where Indian jasmines line our walkways and add fragrance to our meetings. How I long to plant a field of kennedias for you, so you may always absorb it's meaning and my hopes towards you forever.'_

 

Tsumugi stopped to examine his work thus far. It may have hurt in the beginning, but he found it felt good to give these emotions a form- one that wasn't in his head. If he wrote it down, it wouldn't be able to torture him anymore. He'd no longer have to be scared if they were entries in a fragile expression. Arashi cut in through Tsumugi's thoughts, smiling and trying to make small talk. Admittedly, the air was _quite_ tense. Witches can sense atmospheres naturally. It was hard for Arashi to distract his students as much as he could from the sentimental vibe. Mitsuru was a fast learner, his brain practically absorbed everything Arashi said like a sponge. Mika had ended up being there more as company instead but Arashi didn't mind much.

Peaceful.

For once, all felt peaceful.

Across from the blue, leather bound book, Tsumugi dipped his quill back in the ink. The hues of that feather azure and white. Strength was gathered as he prepared his heart for the scabs he was going to rip.

 

_'Though, I can,'t help but to feel hurt as wolfsbane trickle up the backs of your legs. Would balms of gilead be the key to this? Snowdrops are brought daily to your bedside. The wolfsbane continues to grow, yet hope holds strong that I could help you- save and change you from this. Strain and tension snake their way into our garden of a world. Amaranths grow in their wake; a sign to my stubborn unconscious that my heart forsakes. Michaelmas daisies are your first and final gift back to me.'_

 It was true- all of what he wrote. Eichi had slowly turned away from him, became frost incarnate. Such a drastic change it was from his usual self, it was. His _angel_ switched from the beacon of luminosity he was. From the light that illuminated all to the shadows of his hiding holes or wherever else he'd taken to. Mere moments ago, Tsumugi felt a strong need to wither away with him. And yet, he'd never felt more empowered before as he did now. The aura changed significantly from what it had been. Granted, some sadness still had it's twinge in the air, but it had improved. Even Tsumugi could sense it. He might've wondered if it had anything to do with the _mates_ across the table. The way Mika looked at Arashi... Confirmation that love, indeed, had still existed in this realm. This was all going to wrap itself up soon.

Final verses, Tsumugi confirmed as he inked up again. With a quick crack of his neck and knuckles, he was ready to add the ending touches it needed. An angel may have left him for the Green Demon, but Tsumugi was the Bluebird. A child of the Bluewraith clan would not allow himself to stay hurt over this for long. Any other lingering problem would have to be dealt with by the Whiteheirs and Greenfangs respectively.

 

_'Even if the acacias are now long gone, the baby's breaths and the daisies withered in our cold, and the Indian jasmines just aren't that fragrant anymore; I'll still grow and move on to plant yellow roses instead with a hope that the color of happiness can patch up what was ripped open.'_

 

Tsumugi hardly registered that Arashi, Mika, and Mitsuru had held him gently until he had put the quill down. That part of his life was done. When the time comes, he'll incinerate the whole written passage himself and sprinkle the ashes across any garden he nears. It was time for all sorrowful seeds to come to beautiful fruition. 

**Author's Note:**

> eichi cucked tsumugi with keito. also lilies and gladiolus are common funeral flowers


End file.
